Font de l'Orme - Rocher de la Croix de Fer from Mérindol

A beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Durance valley.

Details

52905
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 594 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 601 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 618 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 196 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Maison Forestière du Font de l'Orme north of Vieux Mérindol.

(S/E) Head north and quickly reach a fork in the road.

(1) Turn left and start climbing up the Combe de l'Euse until you reach the place called Les Trois Frères.

(2) Continue climbing and, after heading due east, reach the junction of two trails directly below the Rocher de la Croix de Fer (elevation 554).

(3) Turn left, heading east, to reach the cairn marking the summit of this rock. Enjoy the superb view from here.

(4) Retrace your steps to the previous fork (elevation 554).

(3) Climb up opposite, along the path to elevation 585, before descending southwards along the ridge to pass between the Tête du Mourre Blanc (elevation 464) and the Jassine du Bra (elevation 402).

(5) Continue south and descend to reach the ruins of Jas de Bourdillon.

(6) Take theGR® opposite for about a hundred metres. Leave it when it turns left and continue opposite on the unmarked path. Pass a cistern and then a reservoir.

(7) Turn sharply left and begin to skirt around the summit of Vallon Bernard. Heading due west, you will reach a fork (altitude 230 m) and theGR®6.

(8) Continue generally west on theGR®6to reach the ruins of the Vieux Mérindol castle.

(9) Turn back along theGR®6and return to the previous fork (altitude 230 m).

(8) Turn left and further on, join theGR®6and follow the red and white markings to reach the hamlet of Sadaillan.

(10) Keep left on theGR® to return to the initial crossroads you passed on the way there.

(1) Turn left to reach the car park of the Maison Forestière du Font de l'Orme (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 256 m - Parking lot of the Maison Forestière
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 248 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 1.95 - alt. 335 m - Place known as Les Trois Frères.
  4. 3 : km 4.02 - alt. 557 m - Return trip to the Rocher de la Croix de Fer. View of the valley - La Durance
  5. 4 : km 4.3 - alt. 616 m - Rocher de la Croix de Fer
  6. 5 : km 6.25 - alt. 425 m - Between the Têtes (elevation 437)
  7. 6 : km 7.41 - alt. 303 m - Jas de Bourdillon
  8. 7 : km 8.33 - alt. 291 m - Reservoir
  9. 8 : km 10.82 - alt. 236 m - Fork in the road. Return to Vieux Mérindol
  10. 9 : km 11.22 - alt. 255 m - Vieux Mérindol - Mémorial Vaudois
  11. 10 : km 13.72 - alt. 260 m - Sadaillan
  12. S/E : km 15.17 - alt. 255 m - Car park at the Maison Forestière

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 58 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
patcool
patcool

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike with beautiful panoramic views along the route. The path is often stony, so proper hiking boots are essential.
The final stretch to the Croix de Fer rock is a bit technical and has to be earned...
The climb back after Old Merindol is a bit gruelling, as you really start to feel the kilometres.
But our group of hikers thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done to the author!

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User 27390299

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, with a steady climb followed by a descent offering magnificent views. The circular route above Merindol is well worth the detour.

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Odette84240
Odette84240

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant route with a gradual climb; the steep sections are very short. The round trip to the summit is very interesting, with magnificent 360° views. You will need to use your hands a little, but it is not difficult. The climb is in the shade of the forest, which is welcome in hot weather. It is possible to shorten the route very easily by going from point 6 to point 10.
The second part allows you to visit the old village of Merindol, a Waldensian memorial.

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Olivier-L
Olivier-L

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Another lovely walk in the magnificent Vaucluse department. A fairly long but very steady climb without any difficulty along a pleasant woodland path.
Once you reach the highest point, there is a beautiful view of the Durance valley and the Alpilles. The descent is a little steeper but still easy. You can admire the landscape as you walk.
We cut between points 6 and 10 by taking the forest track, as we were already very familiar with the loop proposed in points 7, 8 and 9, which also offers interesting views of the ruins of the castle of Mérindol le Vieux.
The dogs had a great time too. A short video of this hike can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4Scbpt...

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13Vince13
13Vince13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Be careful between points 7 and 8. Even though I was using GPS, I lost track.

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doude
doude

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful hike, reliable route, very steady elevation gain.

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Alain5130
Alain5130

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with superb views.
The nature is magnificent at this time of year, and it was a delight to see several pairs of birds of prey above the Iron Cross rock.
Thank you for this lovely walk

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ybu
ybu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Overcast weather, which is a shame because the scenery is superb.
We'll come back when the sun's out

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mielielou28
mielielou28

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike
We followed the route, which was perfect
Magnificent views and the old castle was just wow
There were more than 20 of us on this hike and we were delighted
Thank you

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Afrançoise
Afrançoise

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The climb is gentle and the view of the Iron Cross rock is superb. We cut from point 6 directly to point 10 because we know Mérindol very well, but it's still a beautiful walk.

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lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello marcmoine
Update to the description.

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marcmoine
marcmoine

Disappointing because I also relied on other hikers' reviews. And what about point 3?

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for your review.
You indicated that you only used the Visorando app.
In that case, how can you give a "Disappointing" rating for the reliability of the description?

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marcmoine
marcmoine

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done exclusively with the Visorando app and hikers' reviews. At point 3, it is not specified that you should take the path on the right
Very beautiful hike

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MPVR13090
MPVR13090

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't do the entire hike (as described by Visorando). Coming down from the Iron Cross rock, we returned to the Elm Tree Spring via the GR trail, but it was still a beautiful hike. There weren't many people on the trail. It's a great way to discover the Little Luberon.
One small point to note: when you come down from the Croix de Fer rock, you need to head south and start the descent by... climbing up a small hill. This is important. After that, follow the main path south and you're fine. Taking the right path on the descent is actually the trickiest part of the route as there are no signposts, only cairns.

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